Unboxing and First Look of (my) Samsung Galaxy SII

After a 4 tensed days of waiting, finally received my Samsung Galaxy S2!!!! Its a babe....

I am posting the first set of pictures of the phone here.

First, Thanks to Sulekha.com. They kept their words on the delivery.. Saturday evening to Thursday is 4.5 days (though its too much for a Bangalore to Bangalore delivery!!!)

The phone surprisingly came packed in a indiaplaza.in cover.... The overall packing was decent and acceptable, delivered promptly by First Flight couriers.

The inner packing....

It is a Oct 2011 Model - Made in China and completed in Vietnam

 The box itself is very good!!!

Thats the baby - packed neatly......

The whole set of default accesories (an my current E71 - with a upset look :-P )

It is absolutely light weighed. The back lid is extremely thin plastic material - Not sure how good it is - but it fits perfectly on the chasis and we will rarely be removing it - so no worries!!!

Thats with the back cover on - Nice finish and comfortable to hold also....

First charge!!!!  

I have not switched it on yet!!!! Thought it will be better to leave it to get charged fully.... I will most likely doing it late in the evening today.


I will separately write in details about the first feel of using the handset and a much detailed review later today!!!!


Till next time ......

Ordered My New Gadget - Samsung Galaxy S2

Samsung Galaxy S2 - It was love at first sight..... It literally swept me off my feet... I have not seen anything this beautiful recently!!! (I mean in gadgets :-P )

I have been researching on the SGS2 for quite sometime now (whenever time permitted)... I was too skeptical about investing a 30k on a phone.. but the phone itself was awesome.... so, my control was waning off day by day....

Then I came across this thread in Tech enclave blog about the cheapest offer available for SGS2 online. The offer was unbelievable and too good to be true!!!!

Samsung Galaxy S2 for an unbelievable price!!!

The price last week at sulekha was Rs. 24,999 - when the nest closest price was 28,500 in flipkart. Everyone else were selling it @ 30k and more (obviously with few useless gifts to cover up), but, none anywhere close to Sulekha.

Now, I was too confused, as I was not sure, if Sulekha was that a trust-worthy site. Even though a few fellow members of Tech enclave gave me confidence, I couldn't make up my mind. One other reason for my inhibition was because, I came to know that, the phones were 'made in china'. So, I started enquiring all my friends, relatives who has already bought a SGS2 and also visited all the mobile retail shops around my house and found that, almost 99% of them were infact made in china and the rest 1% was "made in korea and finished in china". So that clarified my doubt.

Also, in all the research I did, I couldn't see any negative feedback or review on sulekha's delivery of ordered items (though, there are umpteen not-so-good reviews on their customer service team). And suddenly, 2 days ago, sulekha hiked the price by Rs. 600 - to Rs. 25,599. Though it was still the least, reality stuck me!!!! It is very soon that, they either stop this offer or the stock is going to get over.

So, finally after too much thinking, deliberation and wait, I finally ordered the 2nd costliest gadget I have till date - a Samsung Galaxy S2 today @ 6:08 PM. My brother also booked one in sulekha from Chennai around the same time.

So, now we have our fingers crossed to receive our beauties early next week.

I earnestly hope, that we receive the same without any tension or issues.

Will keep you all posted on the updates. Once I receive it, will write a detailed blog on the opening ceremony.

Kind note to everyone: It is indeed a unbelievable deal in Sulekha. But, as it is not a small amount (atleast for me), please don't go by my decision of buying it. Trust your guts and take the consent of your family, before you order.
I shall take no responsibility, whatsoever, to the outcome of your decision.

Love you all !!!!

ELECTRICAL CONNECTION TRANSFER FROM BUILDER’S NAME TO OWNER'S NAME

Note: Though the procedure is common, this specific article is for owners of Team Enigma Apartments, Vinayak Nagar, Bangalore.

Prerequisite Documents Needed:

1. Khata Certificate, Extract Copy

2. Tax Return Receipt

3. Sale Deed Copy (All pages)

4. Recent Electricity Bill (They will take a duplicate and return this)

5. Indemnity Bond*

6. Agreement*

7. Form I - can be obtained from the concerned officer, Mrs. Lalitha – This for can be downloaded from KEB Transfer Form 1

Note: Please print both the pages back to back on a single A4 paper

8. No Objection Letter signed by the builder (Form IV)
9. Transfer Fees Receipt (Explained below)

* Both Indemnity Bond, Agreement & a file can be obtained from ‘Ali Electricals’ on the small gully adjacent to Vivek Nagar EB Office. One set per metre is required. One set will cost Rs. 265 (125+135+5)

To check availability please contact, Mr. Ali, M: +91 97318 88736

NOTE: Only the list of documents listed above is required. No other document, including Encumbrance Certificate etc. is required.

Procedure:

1. Please get all the above documents ready.
2. Form I, Indemnity Bond and Agreement has to be signed by both/all the owner (if there are more than one owner).

3. Get a chit from Mrs. Lalitha, the concerned officer @ Vivek Nagar EB office for the Transfer Fees (Rs.100) and pay it in the counter in the ground floor and get the receipt.
3. Submit all documents including the above receipt to Mrs. Lalitha. Follow her instructions. She will do everything that is required for getting this done.

4. Vivek Nagar EB office is closed on second Saturdays (the next one is on Mar 19th, 2011). Their lunch time is between 1:30 PM and 3 PM everyday.

5. Contact of Mrs. Lalitha is M: +91 99864 10643.

The indicative cost is around Rs. 1300 (inclusive of 'all' charges)#

# This cost might differ for other EB office

Contest Fever 1 - Steel Series - Contest of the Decade

As indicated in my response to my dearest friend Ram, I am starting this new series, to spread my contest fever....... Hope it spreads fast :)

I shall be sharing contests, giveaways, sweepstakes, samples giveaways etc. that are primarily open for India. Please ensure you go through the terms and conditions of each contest.

I am starting with Steel Series - Contest of the Decade.

They are celebrating their 10th Year Anniversary, this month with an awesome contest called as

"Steelseries Contest of The Decade" , where you can win Super Kool Prizes Including Surface,

Gaming Mouse, Keyboards, HeadPhones, Mouse Pads and Eye Gears.

Click on the link for more details... http://steelseries.com/10?code=bVTbK7Og

My First Win on a Online Giveaway

I recently started trying another shortcut to earn online ( either as money or gadgets or softwares etc...). Though most of these are primarily for US & Canada and a few, restricted to countries like India (export policy)...., I did happen to come across a hand full of them and did spend some time on it.....

Good news is, yesterday, I got my first win on one of the giveaways..... BitDefender AntiVirus Pro 2011 worth around $ 29.95 - a one year license.... Got the same and installed it on my personal system too.... It is brilliant...

I am planning to share such giveaway links here for the benefit of all....... So keep visiting....

Apply for Ration Card in Bangalore

I recently got my ration card done in Bangalore. So thought of sharing the procedure with you all....

I am assuming that you are a couple relocated to Bangalore after marriage.

Pre-requisites:

1. First get both your name removed from any existing ration card(s). If you are from other state and the removal certificate is in the local language of that state (eg. Marati in Maharastra), please ensure that is translated by a notary to english in a legal document. If you don't have any ration card previously, get a letter stating that you don't have a ration card from the municipal office in your native place (the translation rule holds good, if this is also in your native language)

2. Find out the relevant Food & Civil Supplies office from the below list. If you are not sure, please call one of the phone numbers mentioned and check.


Karnataka Food & Civil Supplies Corporation Ltd offices:
Bangalore South:
No. 4, Opp To Rnr, 5th Mn Rd, Chamarajpet, Bangalore - 560018Phone: +91-80-26613531
Bangalore East: (for Murugeshpalya/ Vinayak Nagar)
Corporation Bldg, Nr RBANMS College, St John's Rd, Bangalore - 560042 (Near Commercial Street)Phone: +91-80-25360750


Bangalore North:
No. 3, Nr Police Station, Vyalikaval Extension, 11th C Crs, Bangalore - 560003Phone: +91-80-23445702

No.101, Bellary Rd, Ganganagar, Bangalore - 560032Phone: +91-80-23332550
Bangalore Central:
Central Range Mohan Bldg, Opp Visveswaraiah Museum, Kasturba Rd, Bangalore - 560001Phone: +91-80-22214431
Bangalore West:
No. 16/I, Vasanth Nagar, Miller Tank Bund Rd, Bangalore - 560052Phone: +91-80-22260932, 22200660, 22260752, 22353423, 22096557
Commissioner's office, Dept. of Food & Civil Supplies
No. 8, Sahakari Bldg, Nr Chandrika Hotel, Cunningham Rd, Bangalore - 560052Phone: +91-80-22262187, 22267205, 22264062Email: bngfcs@kar.nic.in 

3. Visit this office and get an application form paying Rs.10. This form will be in Kannada. Use the enclosed translated form to fill the same. It can be filled in English though. (Leave all the untraslated part blank... they are not required.)
Translated Karnataka Ration Card Application Form
Note: (You can get the blank form from ahara website also, but they will not accept it....you can probably use it for a rough copy)

4. You will need the following documents for submission
     a. Residence Proof (Copy of Sale Deed, Rental Agreement, BSNL Landline Bill, property tax receipt etc.)
     b. Identity Proof (Copy & Original of Passport, Pan Card, Driving License etc.)
     c. Surrender Certificate or Letter from municipal office.

5. The officer there might ask you for purpose, say either for identity proof or gas connection. Remember to collect the counter foil from the officer, in which she will mention a tentative date for inspection. Now wait for the inspector to visit your house for inspection. (They came to my house on a Saturday, so they are that considerate & they were very straight forward and didnot ask for any bribe)

6. The inspector give you a date before leaving to collect your ration card. Ensure that you go on that date with all the family members whose name is to be included in the card (this is compulsary).

7. On the said date, visit the F&CS office and collect your application from the officer you gave it earlier, and then proceed to the computer room. Pay the fees of Rs.45 here for the card. The operator there fills in all your details and asks you to verify it once, and then same is translated to Kannada also. Now another person takes the photo of all the family members one by one and take a thumb impression and records them in a computer.

8. Thats it. Now they print your ration card and laminate the same and give it to you.

The entire process took a little less than a month.

Mouli's Annapoorani - Thanjavur Taste in Bangalore - Restaurant Review

Good News to all foodies out there in Bangalore!!!!! Particularly veggies!!!! and more particularly for thanjavur fanatics (like us)..... we have atlast found a best place to literally fall back on.....

Annapoorani Restaurant in Cambridge Layout.... I have included a small map, to guide you to the place, at the end of the article......

A decently spacious hall, with tables spread across, very soft classical music, nice waiting space, over all very good ambience, pleasant and courteous waiters, a nice cashier mama (definitely resembling one of your maternal uncle.... :-) ) and finally a 100% authentic Thanjavur meals - as good as a Kalyana Saapadu that you can have in a Tamil Brahmin wedding.....

.... these are few words to describe Annapoorani after my first visit. I am sure you will agree to it tooo... after your visit there....

We get all kind of South Indian tiffin items here.... I presume the fabulous meals is for lunch alone...... My first visit here was last week, the day I heard about it from a friend. I met Mr. Karthik Mouli there, a pleasant gentleman, who told me a bit about the hotel. I was surprised that they are in business, in the very same place for many years now.... Karthik made a mention of a 85 years old regular celebrated his 85th birthday here recently and he still comes there at this age to eat (the point is no digestion issues even for him). He asked me to come with my family for a week end lunch... which we obliged yesterday.....

But before that, my first try there last week was ven pongal, poori and medu vadai..... Ven pongal (the best one among the pongals I had recently) was as good as the one my paati and amma made back home and was served with (believe me) vatha kozhambu ..... wow... what a combo..... the poori was with aalu curry which was again splendid..... and the vadai was crispy and yummy.....

Now, coming to yesterdays lunch..... the menu was as follows..... Carrot Payasam, Pineapple Pachidi, Yam Podi Curry, Avaraikai Kootu, Paruppu Togayal, Karuvepilai Kozhambu, Mango Rice, Simla Mirchi Bajji, Rice, Paruppu, Ghee, Alu Capsicum Sambar, Tomato Rasam, Curd, Pappad, Pickle........ Now thats as good as a best kalyana saapadu......

The best part of it is all this is unlimited (try and finish he default servings fully first and see). Now comes the ultimate part, the price for all the above is just Rs.135 - thats a very very very fair pricing for the items being served and the authentic taste they had......such good food anywhere else in Bangalore would have burnt a hole in just not your pocket.... but your skin too.....

Timings: Morning 11.30 am to 3.30 pm and Evening 7 pm to 10.30 pm. They are closed on Mondays.

They also provide takeaways, but donot deliver.

I am awaiting the soft copy of the menu card from Mr. Karthik and shall upload the same, once I receive it.

Please visit them and have a nice time..... Do come back and leave your comments here.

Click to enlarge & see the lunch menu for the weekend

अन्नदाता सुखी भाव !!!

iPad launched in India

Experience Web, Email and Photos the best way...... Hands Down.....

Apple launched its iPads in India in two versions..... one with WiFi and other with WiFi and 3G.

iPad Tariffs in India (definetely excluding taxes and VAT etc...)

iPad with WiFi

16 GB – INR 27900
32 GB – INR 32900
64 GB – INR 37900

Apple iPad 3G + WiFi

16 GB – INR 34900
32 GB – INR 39900
64 GB – INR 44900

The best part is they are not locked with any service provider.

BSNL has announced 3G tariffs for iPad:

1. INR 999/ month for unlimited usage

2. INR 599/ month for 6 GB monthly usage

3. INR 99 for daily unlimited usage

For detailed feature list of iPad, visit http://www.apple.com/in/ipad/features/

A Rainy Day in Bangalore

It was a pleasant day and suddenly started to get dark around 1530 hours and got really cloudy…. I have never seen such dark clouds before….. So quickly took a few snaps …. and suddenly the sky opened up into a blast…..

I walked back into the house and continued the shots….. Here are few of them…..

The cloud formation right above our house

Now... thats 3:30 in the afternoon.... never seen such dark clouds before......

And then it started to rain...... Look at the size of rain drops....

Enlarge this photo & see..... all those white ones are rain drops....... size does matters....

& that rain - with the same intensity went on till night......

Hail Bangalore!!!! (Hehe... I work from home... so no trouble...)

Mast Kalandhar Review - Bangalore

A very authentic North Indian restaurant – there are only a very few in Bangalore and this one is one of the best, because it is vegetarian also.

Be it just a quite bite or a casual lunch/ dinner or even a take away, MK is there for you. They have their outlets in all major places.

They also do a home delivery for which you can order online….. Wow…..and the best part is they accept all major coupons also, viz. Sodexho, Accer etc.

Their restaurants are fresh and has very good ambience.

It is said that they use very minimal oil for cooking, without compromising the taste…

For their Menu click MK Menu

To do a online order click MK Online Order and select the branch that is closeby and order. This page has the respctive branches phone numbers also, just incase you want to know what is the dish of the day types……

Have a foodie week end…….

Udupi Park Family Restaurant Review, Old Airport Road, Bangalore

Udupi Park, is one of the best hang out (for those residing in Murugeshpalya and surrounding areas) to handle any food related situation at home….be it a unexpected guest or unable to cook at home or just for a casual change…..

The are 100% veggies and serve South Indian (with tasty chutney and sambar – unlike most other places). They have a ‘Stand and Eat’ kind of joint in the ground floor and proper restaurant in the first floor.

I the ground floor, most of the crowd here is office goers or casual meeting etc…. you also have a chat joint just outside and tables around that place also serve as a ‘Stand and Eat’. You will not get any north indian dishes either served or parcelled in ground floor.

The first floor is completely for families, friends, and big office crowd who prefer to sit and eat. The ambience here is pretty decent. The cashier & waiters here are very friendly and courteous to all. The food is really very good (most of the times)…. There is only one chef, who loves adding 5-6 long red chillies even for a shahi panner … The good thing is he is not the regular one….. So please iterate and reiterate, incase you need any dish to be less spicier (just to be on the safe side).

They serve, South Indian, North Indian and Chinese. The menu is vast and you have many options to choose from. My all time favorites here are Palak Paneer, Paneer Tikka Masala & Alu Fry.

You also get take away here. I am not sure if they take orders over phone (& deliver). I will check that and update. If it is just south indian and you don’t mind a bit of pushing around before getting the parcel, try ground floor. If you need north indian or chinese or want to wait peacefully for a parcel, please proceed to first floor and give your order. They have beautiful plus sofas (recently renovated) for your to wait.

Parking is normally not a issue, if it is a bike. I have not tried car though….

Office Lunch times & week end dinner times are mostly busy, but the wait will not be too much and is managed pretty decently. For reservations reach +91 80 25918138 or +91 98440 14785

Try it out and include your comments below.

Around Bangalore - Part 4 - Ambegalu Krishna Temple

This time I am going to write about ‘Ambegalu Sri Krishna’ temple. It is situated in Mallur or Doddamallur. There is a very interesting story behind the name of this place itself. I will brief about that, before talking about this temple.

Legend has it that, once there was a king called Saarangadaara, who had his limbs cut in a war by his enemies and was thrown into Nirmala river, that flows through this region. He somehow has reached this temple, inspite of his agony and has chanted lord name intermittently. Pleased with his devotion, the lord gave him a Jyothy Dharshan and thus his limbs grew back again. Hence, based on the Tamil word “Mulaithadu” which means grew back, this sacred place got its name Mulaithoor, which with time changed to “Mallur”.

This skethram is also addressed with different names to signify various occurrences in different puranas:

Since Lord Rama stayed here during his exile (this place is situated in the south of Vindhya Mountain), it is called as “Dakshina Ayodhya”

Since educated people of all four vedas lived here it is called “Chatur Veda Mangala Pura”

Anyone who has a thirst to learn veda was blessed with knowledge of all the ancient scriptures here and hence is also called as “Gyaana Mantapa Kshetram”

This place was established as the capital of the vast empire, once great king Rajendra Simha Chozhan ruled and hence is called as “Rajendra Simha Nagari”

It is said that, great sages like Kapila and Sage Kanva (who lived in Tretha Yuga) are still here in some form or other, worshipping lord Aprameya. Even today, after the artha jaama pooja, once the temple is locked, sound of garbha graha door opening and pooja happening and toll of temple bells can be heard from outside, clearly indicating the higher energy source, offering prayers to the lord.

The Main Attraction

It is the idol of Baby Krishna in Crawling posture with the right arm raised in open posture carrying butter, It is called as Ambegal (Kannada) or Tavazhara (Tamil) or crawling Krishna. The Navaneetha Krishna statue is one of its kinds, made of black stone and is said to have been installed by Veda Vyasar. The statue is carved with the ornaments also…. It can be seen with chains, kangan/bracelets in hands, anklets and amulets. The prominent one is a tiger claw like pendant. The priest told us that, it is to keep away the bad ‘dhristi’ of all those who watch him, owing to his immense beauty. The statue of the lord is on a Garuda Peedam.

The complex in which Navaneetha Krishnan adobe resides is called the ‘Purandaradasa Mandapam’ that is facing the Rajagopuram of the temple. The famous kannada classical song ‘Jagadodhaaranaa adisidalu Yashodhaa’ was written by Sri Purandaradasa, in this temple after seeing the beauty of the baby Krishna. (Enjoy the song and its meaning in the end of the article)

The Wodeyar Episode

We were also told of a incident that happened around 130 years ago, when the then Wodeyar king visited this temple.

The king, taken aback by the beauty of Navaneetha Krishna, ordered that such beauty should adorne his palace and took it along with him and installed it in his Mysore Palace. From the very same night, he started getting dreams in which, the lord Krishna ordered him to be returned to the temple and warned him of consequences otherwise.

It is said that, the king did not heed the warnings and there was a massive fire accident in the palace which destroyed part of the then wooden palace. He was then forced to return the idol to the temple with all due respects.

Below are the Janmastami Pictures (credit for these 3 photos to the orignial owners)

The Presiding Deity

Lord Aprameya Swamy (Maha Vishnu) is the main presiding deity of the temple and the idol is made of Salagrama stone found in river Gandaki. The lord has Abhaya Hasta posture ( The upper two arms holding the Counch (Sankam) and the disc (Sudharshana Chakram) and one of the lower arm show his hasta and other holding the Mace (Gadha) )

The utsavar is placed in Shukanasika Mantapam, made of sandalwood. The lord is also called ‘Ramaprameya’, as legend has it that, when Lord Rama was here, he prayed this idol. The remnants of the structures where Lord Rama is said to have conducted yagnyas and homas are still available.

The presiding goddess is Aravindavalli.

The temple is in Channapatna Taluk. 60 Kms from Bangalore, 3 Kms from Channapatna, 80 Kms from Mysore.

JAGADHODHARANA (Song with Lyrics & Meaning)

P: jagadOddhArana ADisidaLeshOde 

Yashoda plays with the Savior of the World

A: jagadOddhArana maganendu tiLiyuta

Deeming him to be nothing more than a mere boy and her son

SuguNa anthaRangana AadisidaLeyshodha

Yashodha plays with that embodiment, who is complete with all the virtues

C1: nigamakE silukada agaNita mahimana

He whose greatness cannot be caught even by vedas and who is beyond count / infinity (a-ganitha is countless)

magugaLa mANikyana ADisidaLeshOde

and he who is a gem among all the children -- Yashoda plays with him

2: aNOraNIyana mahatO mahiyana

Much smaller than atoms, bigger than the biggest

apramEyana ADisidaLeshOde

He who is beyond limit or im-measurable, Yashoda plays with Him

3: parama puruSana paravAsudEvana

With the Greatest among beings, Para Vaasaudeva,

purandara viTTalana ADisidaLeshOde

With Purandhara Vitthala, Yashoda plays with him